At 97, Dick Van Dyke Is Aging in Reverse, and He Celebrates His 51-Year-Old Wife for It

Dick Van Dyke recently turned 97, and he’s still going strong as ever! The Mary Poppins star is a picture of excellent health, mostly because he’s keeping up with his 51-year-old wife. The actor has been praising his beloved for over a decade, and his adoration is only growing stronger.

You’d think that at 97 years of age, Dick Van Dyke would’ve been long retired. However, the Hollywood old-timer is keeping his energy levels so high that he can do several projects simultaneously. For example, he appeared in the popular singing competition, The Masked Singer, in early 2023 and even starred in the movie, Capture the Flag, set to release sometime this year.

So what is Van Dyke’s secret? He gives all the credit to his beautiful wife, Arlene Silver, saying, “Having a beautiful young wife half my age to take care of me — that works!” He explained that she helps him keep a “positive attitude” and inspires him to work out at the gym “3 days a week.”

The actor believes physical activity is essential for his ability to stay active at nearly 100 years old. “I advise everybody to do that because that’s what ages people. It’s just a stiffening up and not exercising their muscles and their lungs. Exercise is the answer,” the actor explained. We can imagine that it’s pretty motivational to have a younger partner that keeps you company at the gym.

Van Dyke married Silver in 2012 at ages 86 and 40, respectively. The difference in age never once bothered the couple. Van Dyke explained that their personalities are balanced, sharing, “We don’t feel the age gap. I’m emotionally immature, and Arlene is very wise for her age, so we meet in the middle.”

In addition, the 2 are crazy in love. Van Dyke adores his wife and never fails to mention that she’s the main reason for making him feel so alive: “She’s just delightful, a great cook and a woman of great patience. She’s given me a third life, and I’m tickled to death with it.”